Podiatry Technician

Under general supervision of the Podiatrist/Director of Wound Management, the Podiatry Technician serves as the primary point of contact for all internal and external referrals received by phone, fax, e-mail, and in person. Provides clinical, inpatient and intra-operative support, and assistance for both podiatry and wound care clinics. Serves as a podiatry primary surgical assistant. Upholds the principles of WIHCC’s Vision, Mission, and Value Statements.

Maintains confidentiality of all privileged information at all times.

This list of duties and responsibilities is illustrative only of the tasks performed by this position and is not all-inclusive.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Maintains regular attendance and punctuality.

Assists in the debridement of dystrophic/non-dystrophic nails, hyperkeratotic lesions and verruca lesions utilizing sharp, chemical and blunt tools under the direct supervision of the Director of Wound Management/Podiatrist.

Provides primary surgical assist in podiatric/wound care surgical procedures within the operating room to include CCPMA assistance including amputations, open reduction internal fixation of lower extremity fractures and other soft tissue surgical procedures within the podiatric scope of practice.

Prepares, maintains and sterilizes surgical tools for office/clinic based surgical procedures. Schedules wound care and podiatry patients as needed.

Takes plaster/foam casting of lower extremity for fabrication Of AFO required for the care of chronic/recurring wounds under the direction of the Director of Wound Management/ Podiatrist.

Provides support to the Director of Wound Management/Podiatrist in daily inpatient rounds to assist with procedures & wound care management.

Assists in the application of wound vac materials to complex deep wounds. Provides home wound vac care education and troubleshooting.

Measures and records height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate. Determines need for and calculates BMI. Prepares and maintains injection material for local procedure blocks, steroid injections and wound care injection products under sterile technique.

Assists in breaking down and the placement of wound care dressings on patients in a fashion matching their neurovascular status as determined by the Director of Wound Management/Podiatrist while recognizing and reporting acute signs of infection or poor home wound management.

Provides diabetic therapeutic shoe fitting and non-custom multi-density layer orthotics for patients.

Provides and presents initial biomechanical exam of lower extremity for semi-custom and custom orthotic preparation by the Director of Wound Management/Podiatrist.

Prepares examination room for patients including cleaning, procedural set up and patient positioning for examination. Recognize necessary procedure and required tools to perform procedure upon initial examination of patient.

Preforms and presents ankle brachial index vascular assessment.

Assesses patient need for therapeutic shoes based on the evaluation results of physical assessment, circulation, skin integrity, protective sensation, pain and environmental barriers.

Implements the therapeutic shoe fitter’s treatment plan including but not limited to measuring patients for shoes, selecting the correct material, evaluating shoe fit, adjusting to accommodate individual anatomic contours, educating patients and providing relevant handouts and other information.

Maintains an inventory of materials, supplies, instruments and equipment used in the wound care and Podiatry Clinic.

Serves as an interpreter and assistant to the Director of Wound Management/Podiatrist as needed in any community or clinic podiatric intervention.

Participates in wound…